Modern Bee

August 5, 2013
An old-fashioned quilting bee: wooden frame fills the parlor, neighbors at their needles, better quilters stay late to redo poor quilters’ “toenail-catchers.” A modern bee: quilters connect only by Internet and snail mail, each month a “host” chooses a block, others work that block to return to the “host” for assembly. The first way is real; the other, a virtual group project. Conner, a writer/editor/quilter/blogger, produces a well-crafted guidebook based on her online bee, the Mod Stitches. Members designed a baker’s dozen patterns—one for each month, plus one for gift-giving or charity fundraising—that would work well for the modern bee as well as for individual quilters. March’s “Bluebell’s Cabin” is refreshing; September’s “Trellis Crossroads,” bracing. Conner also offers basics for newbies and coaching for quilters with intermediate skills (including templates for “Baseball Curves”) as well as sound guidelines for modern “bee-keeping,” including ideas to compensate for quilters who run late or are a poor fit in the group. No matter whether the bee is in the parlor or cyberspace, “sewing with others is a way to creatively stretch yourself,” Conner writes.

September 1, 2013

Online quilting bees are popular among modern quilters, and this collection of 12 quilt patterns that emerged from the yearlong Mod Stitches Bee features designs that fall squarely within the modern-traditionalist style. Quilters familiar with the modern quilting blogosphere will recognize several of the designers, including Elizabeth Dackson, Jeni Baker, and Sukie Newbold, all of whom sell or share their patterns online. The projects include modern takes on log cabin, snowball, drunkard's path, and star blocks, as well as a string-pieced circle block that looks much tougher to make than it actually is. Tips for piecing, quilting, and starting and running a virtual quilting bee are interspersed throughout. VERDICT Those who enjoy quilts that bring modern flair to traditional blocks will enjoy this compendium of beginner-to-intermediate patterns.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.